Posted October 19, 2020 | by KimS | in 2020Presidential, DemDaily

DemDaily: The Status of the Early Vote in Your State

October 19, 2020

At now just 15 days before the most important presidential election of our time, 37 states have begun early voting, shattering records for early turnout. As of yesterday, over 26 million Americans had already cast their votes -- a 301% increase over the number at this point in 2016.

Currently, 38 states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting in some form and all states allow for some form of absentee or mail-in balloting. Some, however, still require voters to provide a valid excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day -- even during the pandemic.

Close to 63,552,000 US voters have requested mail-in ballots, a 229% increase from 2016. 47% of those requested to-date are from registered Democrats, and 30% by Republicans.

In the unprecedented environment of voting during the age of COVID, it is anticipated that at least half the electorate will vote by mail or early in person, a process that has come under fire by President Trump as "fraught with fraud and abuse" -- setting the stage for a post-election battle.

For our followers, the status of the early voting options in your state. Cast your ballot today and pass it on!

At present, nine states and Washington, DC automatically send ballots to voters and ten states automatically send voters an absentee ballot application.

Five states - Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington - conduct "all-mail elections," which are conducted primarily by mail, but may have in-person voting options available.